IPC and IPCA challenge India’s Proposed E-waste Rules 2010

IPC and IPCA challenge India’s Proposed E-waste Rules 2010

IPC and the Indian Printed Circuits Association (IPCA) are working together to address the latest round of proposed substance restrictions. The two associations have submitted comments in response to the Indian Government’s Ministry of Environment and Forests draft notification of E-waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2010. Specifically, IPC is concerned that the proposed “Chapter V Reduction in the use of hazardous substances (RoHS) in the manufacture of electrical and electronic equipment” will have a negative impact on the global and Indian electronics industry and will fail to accomplish the Ministry’s goal of environmentally sound management of electrical and electronic equipment waste.

In its comments, IPC explains that the simultaneous restriction of the 20 substances identified in Chapter V, Schedule III of the proposed draft regulation will not contribute to the environmentally sound disposal of electronic products and proposes that a scientific evaluation of substances be conducted in order to ensure that alternatives provide a benefit to human health and the environment. “IPC urges the Ministry to implement a scientifically-based methodology for restricting substances that includes a full life-cycle assessment of the substances and possible alternatives in order to accomplish the goal of maximum human health and environmental protection,” says Fern Abrams, IPC director of government relations and environmental policy.

IPC claims that several substances included in Schedule III have been proven to be safe for human health and the environment and should not be restricted under the Ministry’s proposal. In a statement, IPC notes that “Tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBPA), the most common flame retardant used in more than 80 percent of printed boards, has been safely used for decades. The World Health Organization and the European Commission Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (SCHER) conducted separate, comprehensive scientific assessments of TBBPA and both found TBBPA to be safe for human health and the environment.”